Some tag teams are not meant to break up.

[The Doctor]

Shock, horror.

I was talking about this with The Brain yesterday. This may seem pretty obvious, but it's amazing how the fans seem to forget this. Ever since the Rockers, the Hart Foundation, the Bulldogs, and all the way to Miz and Morrison, we seem to be obsessed with finding the member of the team that will go on to superstardom, and the "Neidhart" that will fade into obscurity.

The thing is, not all tag teams are meant to break up that way. There is nothing wrong with only being a tag team wrestler. And with all the Bulldogs, Harts, and HBKs out there, there are several examples of tag teams that completely failed when split.

Deuce N Domino
I loved Deuce N Domino - as a team. They were rather entertaining in their gimmick as greasers, and they're actually the reason I'm such a wrestling fan now. When they split up, Domino was released, Deuce had a failed run as Sim Snuka, and then he got released as well.

Cryme Tyme
Fun little tag team that inexplicably never won the tag titles. As a team they put on entertaining matches and always got good-sized pops. When they split, Shad went back to FCW and JTG is doing nothing on Superstars.

The Hart Dynasty
Obviously, it's too early to definitively say that either one will fail when the team splits up, but I really believe this to be true. Already people are asking themselves which will be the most successful when the split-up happens. The fact that people are treating the split-up as inevitable just proves my point that we as fans have gotten ridiculous with our expectations.

The thing in common with all these teams is that neither member had exactly what it took to be a singles star. The members of the teams complemented each other to form a cohesive unit that worked extremely well as a team. There is nothing wrong with being a tag team wrestler. The IWC always complains about "thrown together" tag teams, and lack of a tag team division, but when a proper tag team bursts onto the scene, we are quick to try and figure out the "better man".

Maybe if we (and the WWE) weren't so obsessed with finding the Neidharts, we'd have a better tag division. Just a thought.

 

[DirtyJosé]

I don't know who ever thought breaking the Dudleys into singles performers was a good idea, but they were very very wrong. Part of why tag team wrestling is viewed today with a measure of skeptisism is that we have been conditioned, like Doc pointed out, to look only for the singles potential out of any team. We've just come to see tag teams as simply vehicles towards a singles career.

I think we need more teams that aren't designed to split up. Give us more teams that want only to work in tag teams. Give us a few teams that are only interested in holding the tag team titles. When they start taking the division more seriously, we will.

 

[Miss Flawless]

Again, I haven't even been interested in tag-wrestling since E and C and the Hardy Boyz broke up. After that, tag wrestling wasn't the same. I completely agree with Doc, we and WWE, need to stop looking for the Neidharts and start focusing on how WWE can improve their tag division, cause believe me, I really want to be interested in tag team wrestling like I was with E and C, Hardy Boyz and The Dudleys.

 

[The Holy One]

I agree with you on this one Doc. Some of the considered best tag teams of all time never amounted to anything as single competitors. Perfect examples would be The Road Warriors, The New Age Outlaws, The Rock-n-Roll Express, and of course Team 3D. I feel people are always constantly looking for who will be the HBK of the group in any tag team. This will never help the division grow if they will be split up in one or two years. I think tag teams should be allowed to work and get over with the crowd and then maybe transition to a split rather it being abrupt and sudden.

 

[thebigbadfox]

This is a terrible thread because there is noway possible anyone can disagree with the original poster Im joking of course... As everyone has said the tag team world is hurt by the constant breaking up of teams... some teams are destined to be broken because of a single person that could be top tier singles star like edge or Jeff Hardy... but if an emphasis was put on keeping teams together there wold be a better division in all companies... I keep waiting for TNA to break up BMI and MCMGs but it wouldnt be smart or for WWE to break up the Hearts again stupid.... this is why noone takes the tag team divisions seriously

 

[Ultra Awesome]

I agree with you Doc. This throwing in random people into a team is absurd. It really hurts the tagteam division as they are supposed to be filled with a pair that has some sort of chemistry. Im going to give an example that I think has not been said.

Legacy

I don't like the fact that Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes split up. It was a horrible move and it hurt the tag team divission more. These two had that chemistry between them. They had similar appearances, they had similar styles of wrestling...basically they were alike in many ways. But then what happens? They break up. Sure, the break up happened because Randy was turning face, but wouldn't it had been better if Cody and Ted stayed as a team, as heels? They pulled of very good matches against DX, they could have pulled off possibly even greater matches if they kept the team going.

I think the WWE needs more teams like this, teams that have chemistry, and work well in the ring. Throwing in random people to be in teams hurts their division and it makes us not want to like them. In my opinion, they (the WWE) are burrying their own tagteam division.

 

[Dhays9]

I totally agree. The problem is the fact that once someone gets established as a tag team WWE decides to split them up and create even more wrestlers waitting to mid-card or get a decent title push. Also, another tag team I would add even though not in WWE is Kevin Steen and El Generico (side note done with the American Wolves too but supposedly Davey Richards is retiring so understandable). Steen & Generico are probably one of my favorite tag teams in the fact they were able putting on solid matches week in and week out. Now, ROH all the sudden decides to split them up and feud with each other when they didn't need to.

That is probably why I perfer TNA and ROH when it comes to Tag Teams for the fact that they establish tag teams and keep them tag teams and actually use them on their shows. Or if a wrestler shows he excells as a tag team westler they keep him there such as James Storm with AMW(team for 6 years I believe) and now BMI (2 years). Murder City Machine Guns(3 years) and Team 3D(omg idk how long but yea its Team 3D). Well I would name a bunch of ROH teams but I don't wanna ramble.

 

[zman21]

imo tag teams are breaking up to soon and thats why they fail as a singles performer. legacy only together for 2 yrs miz/morrison together for a year and a half. keep these guys together for 3-4 yrs then break them up and give them great feuds. also a good way to break them up not like a draft or something stupid. the rockers was a great example of jennetty wanting to get his hands on hbk and made that feud memorible and exciting

 

[KnowYoRole]

I agree with you Doc. This throwing in random people into a team is absurd. It really hurts the tagteam division as they are supposed to be filled with a pair that has some sort of chemistry. Im going to give an example that I think has not been said.

Legacy

I don't like the fact that Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes split up. It was a horrible move and it hurt the tag team divission more. These two had that chemistry between them. They had similar appearances, they had similar styles of wrestling...basically they were alike in many ways. But then what happens? They break up. Sure, the break up happened because Randy was turning face, but wouldn't it had been better if Cody and Ted stayed as a team, as heels? They pulled of very good matches against DX, they could have pulled off possibly even greater matches if they kept the team going.

I think the WWE needs more teams like this, teams that have chemistry, and work well in the ring. Throwing in random people to be in teams hurts their division and it makes us not want to like them. In my opinion, they (the WWE) are burrying their own tagteam division.

I am actually glad Legacy broke up, because it allowed cody to show more character and show how much better he is than ted. Cody is shining on smackdown right now with his own gimmick and it seems everything about him since he's broken up with Ted has improved. For example, he gave an excellent promo at the end of NXT last tuesday. Meanwhile, Ted Jr. is trying to make his fathers gimmick work, but to no avail because he gets absolutely no reaction and is a total bore.

That being said I do agree with the OP. There was no reason for Cryme Tyme to break up. The way it looks like right now, JTG and Shad's time together as a tag team will be the highlight of both their careers because ever since they've split, neither of them have broken out and both of them have faded into obscurity. They were an exciting, popular, hot tag team and it's really disappointing how they never won the titles. Some tag teams should have never broken up because there isn't an HBK and Marty Jannetty in every tag team, some guys work best as a team and some guys just cant make it by themselves.

 

[Judah's Lion]

to summarize and add what everyone has been saying here... absolutely yes, there are some tag teams that were never meant to be split up.
i may be in the minority here, but i don't think that the Hardy Boys should have split. i loved the Team Extreme gimmick and they were a great tag team, maybe even one of the best of all time. what has Matt done ever as a singles star? not much. and Jeff had a pretty meteoric rise with the world title run and feud with Triple H, Edge and Punk, but he's not as credible as a world champion as others are. and the feud to Matt and Jeff could have been amazing if it happened when it did, but they had been a tag team for that whole length of time, like over 8 years. then the history and the story and the feud would have been so much more intense, a la the Rockers split.
the New Age Outlaws were definitely better as a tag team. i liked when they were still a team but held singles titles, defended and lost them, and then kept re-teaming. just because one tag team member gets a singles title doesn't mean that the team has to split. in fact, it could give the one member a super long heel reign because he can always have someone to interfere on his behalf.
Demolition and LOD were better as tag teams. Team 3D/Dudley Boys. i loved Eddie Guerrero's singles push, but i loved Los Guerreros. this is a tough call for me. but maybe they should've stayed a tag team.
World's Greatest Tag Team with Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas was great. as singles, they're not so great. as a team, they would have dominated (and did!) and could have gone thru the roof with the right manager.
Highlanders were a great comedy tag team. if they stayed there, then maybe Santino and Kozlov could be single's stars and be taken seriously.
Cryme Tyme was great as a team. as singles they are pretty forgettable. Duece and Domino were a great team. Harris Brothers and Basham Brothers (i enjoy the identical twin idea with the illegal switches). MNM were better as a team. plus it gave those guys something to do and they had great heat.

yeah, Doc. there are definitely a number of teams out there that never needed to in the past and never need to in the present or future to break up. there have been far more useless tag team splits that resulted in nothing than shining stars that were the result of a tag team breakup.
you've got guys like Bret Hart, HBK and Scott Steiner. i'm sure there's more on that list, but not many. Booker T for sure. maybe a couple of others. but for the most part, if you're brought in as a tag team, there's a reason for it. stick with it and be the best tag team in the world, as opposed to a forgotten singles career that ends with the future endeavored list.

 

[The Viper Orton]

I completly agree. The teams mentioned above should never be broken apart because as single division you might not make it. One team I always felt it was wrong to break up was Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas. Also, I used to love the Dough and Danny Williams I think with that manipulating women (I forgot who). I always thinked it was very stupid to break them up.

There is however one type of breaking up I like and I have one example. APA, The team had it's time and it was obvious (for me more obvious than rockers, hardy boyz or even Old Hart tag team) who was the better member. When the team has run its course and you had enough tag titles and one person had a perfect gimmick to push him to the top (needs to be sure a "Perfect" gimmick) then they need to break up.

 

[The Brain]

The main thing I wish the fans and WWE creative would realize is it’s not an insult to be part of a tag team. I’m probably one of the oldest guys on the forum and I can remember so clearly when tag team wrestling was an important part of the show. There was no shame in being in a tag team. They were as important as anyone else besides the obvious Hogan, Savage, etc. Tag matches were often the best matches on the card back then. Now people look at tag team wrestlers as failed singles wrestlers that creative doesn’t know what to do with.

A team staying together for a year is considered a long time nowadays. The fans are always waiting for a team to split because that’s exactly what happens now. The Hart Dynasty will eventually split up. I’m fine with that, but why can’t it happen three or four years from now? It will have much more impact. Does anybody care when a team splits up if they haven’t been together long? I’m sure we all remember Michaels throwing Jannetty through the window. That was an awesome moment because it marked the end of a long running team. If that happened six months after the Rocker debuted it wouldn’t have meant nearly as much.

Teams don’t stay together because they don’t have anyone to work with. The Hart Foundation were a team for about six years. Can you imagine that in this era? How were the able to last so long? They had plenty of teams to work with. When they were done with the Killer Bees they moved to the British Bulldogs. Then Strike Force, then the Rougeaus, then Rhythm & Blues, then the Brain Busters, then Demolition, then the Nasty Boys, and a couple more I didn’t mention. See what I mean? The more teams there are the longer each team can last. Common sense really. We all remember the teams I mentioned above fondly. Not to mention LOD, Rockers, Money Inc., Steiner Brothers, and many more. How many teams over the last five years do we remember the same way? I’m begging for tag team wrestling to rebound, but it will probably never happen.

 

[The Ram]

I think the world greatest tag team (shelton Benjamin and Charilie Hass) should'nt have broke up. Shelton Benjamin started to break out as a rising star but then he stayed a mid card and Charlie Hass never really did anything but win tag team belts. So I think they should've stayed together.
Like The Docter said Duece and Domino should've stayed together becuase like Doc they are the people who brought me into wrestling in 2007. They had a cool gimmick and I loved there car and there music then almost as soon as they break up Domino gets released then Duece starts to seem like he may begin to be successful as a singles wrestler but then he gets released also.
Then I also think Lance Cade (RIP) and Trevor Murdoch should've stayed together because they were a good pairing with a good country gimmick. Then when they break up Trevor gets released first then Lance Cade seems toget a push then he gets released too so I think they should've stayed together.

 

[The Crock]

They definitely shouldn't break up all teams, the only time they should is when there is a clear "star". If and when the Hart Dynasty break up I can see D.H. Smith being the "star" but Tyson Kidd is extremely good as well so I wouldn't be surprised if he was a "star" too. Splitting up Cryme Tyme was a mistake, it proved that they couldn't be anything without each other. Shad can't get ANY reaction... in FCW, and JTG is looking to take over as "ultra-jobber" after Chavo Guerrero retires. Deuce and Domino were great together, but they were both Marty Jannety's. The WWE has a weak tag division so they should probably be keeping teams together, not splitting them up.

 

[SpoodBeest]

When they broke up Cryme Tyme I could not believe it. I though that it was one of the single most dumb decisions I had seen in a while. Looking at them as a team you would say they had no chance to be singles stars which reigned true. Shad is back down the training grounds known as FCW and JTG has become a useless jobber on SmackDown. They were a very over tag team that WWE never gave a chance and they ended up splitting them up for no good reason. What kind of good does that do?

Jesse and Festus was another team I liked and thought had potential to be a clever little babyface tag team. They were over and worked well together. They had all the makings to be tag team champions but WWE never gave them the chance despite how over they were. And I always felt they were completely under utilized as a tag team. So they randomly drafted Festus to RAW where he rotted in under card obscurity until he re-debuted as Luke Gallows in SES on SmackDown. While Jesse became a ridiculous white boy wannabe gangster character until his release. Another tag team that should not have been split up.

Which gets me to Carlito and Primo. They were a very over babyface tag team. They gave each other something to do while remaining relevant in the tag team division while at the same time adding another team to it's ranks. I never understood why the hell they had Carlito turn heel on his brother and split them up for no good reason. It was stupid and ruined any momentum the two of them had from becoming the first ever unified tag team champions. WWE seems to enjoy to do this for whatever reason, but in the end they really are just shooting their tag team division in the same foot over and over again. You can't grow a successful tag team division if you break up every little team that starts to get over in the eyes of your fans.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

It's an interesting topic actually. Some tag teams have a natural end, others don't. Others have a stand out singles star, others don't. The Dudley's were mentioned earlier and they are the perfect example of a team that should never be split up. Why? Because neither has the charisma or individual star power to get anywhere as a singles wrestler, but as a unit, they are a great attraction. The same about Cryme Tyme. When they were separated in April, there seemed to be no reason, no point and most notably, no star from the pair. Neither had the ability or charisma to be a stand out star. That's just the way it was.

Then you move onto a team like Miz & Morrison. Both of these guys have found success as singles stars. Morrison is fairly over as a midcard babyface and the Miz is the fastest rising star in the company (not to mention the Money in the Bank Holder plus the United States Champion). Sometimes in a tag team, there is no Jannetty, only Michaels', however sometimes there are no Michaels', only Jannetty's.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

There's an old saying, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" or something like that. In this case I agree with tag teams that should not have broken up. For instance, I think Edge and Christian, Dudleys, Hardys, those three were a dynasty in the Attitude era of WWF/E time. They revolutionized the TLC matches for future generations to try to outdo. Then if you look at the on-screen chemistry those teams possessed, it was comedy magic. Most of the comedy bits you see on the older dvd's from the WWE, are the skits of those 3 teams trying to outwit each other, and even E&C trying to get under the skin of anybody else that tried to do war with them. Granted, I'm not going to say that the achievements of the singles of each of those teams is something to turn your nose up at, its still good, but most people still recognize them as tag team stars. I think that is what they are going to be mainly known for, as long as they continue to stay in wrestling. Then you look at newer generations, like Legacy, Rhodes and Dibiase, great as a tag team behind Orton. Still seeming to try to find their footing as singles stars. Then you have MNM, which I still loved to this day, amazing tag group. Even Miz and Morrison, great tag team, even though both are having good time on their own, but you will still see one do better than the other. You will find yourself going back to that saying I quoted at the beginning, and you will ask yourself, "Why break up something that wasn't broke to begin with?"

 

[llennellV3]

I always saw APA (Acolypes) as nothing but a tag team and thought Bradshaw (JBL) wouldn't accomplish anything by himself...I was wrong.

They should had not got rid of Billy and Chuck...LMAO.

 

[spinningtorturerack]

I believe that its important to have tag teams that don't break up, Hart Dynasty, Uso's, Dudleys - They all work as a unit and their gimmick works together, to split just wouldn't make sense.

However sometimes its better for a tag team to split - E&C was a great example. These two came together as two single wrestlers formed a cool team, but they were getting older and being a cool young surfer dude only lasts so long. They both had very successful careers.

Hardy's should never have been split. It's only because they were forced to split that they eventually formed a singles following, think about it, it's only in the last few years Jeff has actually had success as a singles competitor. From what I remember it was always Matt who was more popular. But they both struggled stuck at the bottom of each brand.

If you have two distinct enough characters then yes it can be a good idea and a good way to propel a singles star starting in a ready-made feud. But you still need a stable of tag teams to compliment them.

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

There is however one type of breaking up I like and I have one example. APA, The team had it's time and it was obvious (for me more obvious than rockers, hardy boyz or even Old Hart tag team) who was the better member. When the team has run its course and you had enough tag titles and one person had a perfect gimmick to push him to the top (needs to be sure a "Perfect" gimmick) then they need to break up.

The APA broke up because Ron Simmons wanted to retire; it wasn't creative breaking them up for the sake of it. Overall, i agree with Brain when he says there is no competition for current tag teams like The Hart Dynasty so people assume they will break up soon. One thing that always makes me chuckle is that posters on these forums moan about 'two single stars being thrown together' to fill up the ranks in the tag division.... but then comment on at least one thread a month asking 'which two singles guys should team up'

 

[nbda1997]

You're definitely right, it's not always a wise gamble to split tag teams up. This is a mistake that's been repeated again and again since the 80's.

Remember the Powers of Pain? Now, they definitely weren't the Road Warriors or anything, but they made for good foils for teams like Demolition and the Harts. When they split the PoP up, neither of them had good mic skills, so Warlord got Slick as a manager, and Barbarian got Bobby Heenan. Neither of these guys had any particular chemistry with their respective managers, and I can't remember one memorable feud involving either one of them. They both became token "powerhouses" who did jobs in countless David & Goliath schticks throughout the early nineties.

I think its ok for tag team partners to take a break from each other, but the booker should make sure that there is a loophole available in the storyline to get them back together as a team if wrestling as singles isn't working out.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Totally aggree with you here Doc, the problem is that since Tag wrestling is so worthless in todays WWE that the WWE dosent want good tag wrestlers as no one cares about them, they want singles stars and if that means breaking up tag teams to find them then so be it it is no big loss to them as in their eyes tag teams cant draw. You are right though as some people just arent destined to be singles stars, teams like The Dudleyz are a great example of this, as individualy they pretty much suck but as a tag team they are considered to be one of the greats.

 

[Hazardous]

For instance, I think Edge and Christian, Dudleys, Hardys, those three were a dynasty in the Attitude era of WWF/E time. They revolutionized the TLC matches for future generations to try to outdo. Then if you look at the on-screen chemistry those teams possessed, it was comedy magic. Most of the comedy bits you see on the older dvd's from the WWE, are the skits of those 3 teams trying to outwit each other, and even E&C trying to get under the skin of anybody else that tried to do war with them.

I agree that those 3 teams were a highlight for the WWE tag division, but when i think "Attitude Era" and "Tag Team Dynasty" no team comes to mind more then the New Age Outlaws. They paved the way or the comedy Tag Team's to come, and they really are a prime example that throwing 2 mid-lower card guys together, CAN work out great. I mean.. 5 time TAG team CHAMPIONS OF THE WOOOORRRRLLLDDD.

Even in TNA they were good together. Was the one time i would make sure i watched each week, to see what VKM would do next. Breaking the team up was a horrible idea.
Same can be said for plenty of others, but one i have not herd yet in here. JeriShow. Yes, they were not around long, but they were starting to really bring the Tag Team division back up.

 

[ramblinroy682]

Back in the day, the tag teams that stuck together typically had one common thing. They had one guy who could talk and one guy who could really carry the in ring action. If they didn't have a talker then they had a manager to do that for them. But, either way, it was typically guys who didn't really have the complete package, but were really good in one category.

New Age Outlaws: Road Dogg talked, and Gunn did most of the wrestling.
Dudleys: Bubba Talks, D-von does the ring work.
Rock n Roll: They were both pretty good in the ring, but Ricky Morton did most of the talking.

They don't do that enough these days. They want everyone to be the next mega star. Guys that could be great in a tag team just get released these days.

Benjamin and Haas are prime examples.

Right now in the WWE, I think Husky Harris, Matt Hardy, Christian, Justin Gabriel, Evan Bourne, John Morrison, and Dolph Ziggler would all be great candidates for tag teams.

 

[ChrisNutter]

A great tag team that was never broken up, Demolition until the time had finally run out on them and they were amazing together.